When Rhiannon Clarke lines up for the women's T38 100m at the Paris Paralympics, it will be her sixth major championship.

She's a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, a three-time World Championship medallist, and now a dual Paralympian.

And she's just 22.

"I definitely feel like one of the older athletes, even though I'm still technically one of the younger ones, especially in the field of my event," Clarke says with a laugh.

"Most people don't peak until about 25, 26 and I'm only 22, so it's definitely really cool going into these Games, being so young still but also having had that experience and having had that success at a young age."

And success is exactly what Clarke has enjoyed. At 15 she was picked for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where she won silver in the 100m.

She backed that up with bronze medals in the 100m and 200m at the Dubai World Para Athletics Championships, and was selected for the Tokyo Paralympics.

Clarke didn't medal in Tokyo, but bounced back with a 100m Commonwealth Games bronze in Birmingham, and won a silver in the 400m at the Paris World Championships.

And it's Paris that's awaiting again.

"We're really focused on making sure the body's feeling as good as possible in comparison to before Tokyo, where I happened to strain my hamstring like two weeks out from the Games," Clarke said.

"I'm lifting the strongest I've ever lifted, I'm running the fastest I've actually ever run, and I'm just happy and enjoying my training. I'm enjoying this path that I'm on, and I'm really excited for these games."

Diagnosis and early intervention

Clarke was born with cerebral palsy, which was caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain while developing in the womb.

"I guess my foot was a bit bent up, and my mum thought that's not so normal in comparison to her other kids," Clarke explained.

"My mum went on kind of a journey to get me diagnosed with something, or find out what was up with me and what, I guess, wasn't as right with me in terms of that."

She was diagnosed at 10 months old, and went on a baby botox trial.

"I'm so grateful for all of the treatment and therapy that I got at a young age, and I'm so grateful for my mum advocating for me.

"Even though my disability was mild, she knew there was something there and she wanted to get the best support for me."

It's purely by chance that Clarke found athletics.

As a child, Clarke played a lot of sport but did not know the Paralympics existed, let alone was something she could aspire to.

"Growing up, I didn't really see many para-sports on TV, or didn't really even know the Paralympics existed," she said.

"My mum was always pushing me to do sports as a kid, so I did swimming, horse riding and ballroom dancing."

It was only when she was encouraged by a physiotherapist to attend a para-athletics 'come-and-try-day' when she was 12 that the world of track and field opened up to her.

It took a lot of convincing to attend the trial, and it paid off.

"I got identified by a coach and he told me that I could go to the Paralympics one day, which completely blew my mind," Clarke said.

"I didn't realise I could be eligible for the Paralympics, that I would be able to compete in sport like athletics on such an international stage."

Embracing disability

Clarke's balance and coordination is affected by her cerebral palsy, and she also fatigues at a faster rate, which has led to a lot of trial and error in developing training programs.

But it has not stopped her reaching the highest levels.

By the age of 15, Clarke was wearing the green and gold, competing on the Gold Coast at the Commonwealth Games and winning silver.

It's an experience that will live with her forever, and it was a relationship she built with one of Australia's most successful para-athletes while in camp that has had a lasting impact.

"I actually got to room with Madison de Rozario, so that was a pretty cool, starstruck experience for me," Clarke said.

"I was able to see that she's a human as well and she gets nervous before her races just like me, and that it's okay to be nervous.

"It definitely was a stepping point for me to become more comfortable with my disability, being surrounded by these amazing athletes who were so confident in themselves, and they were great advocates for the disability community.

Social media's double-edged sword

That experience encouraged Clarke to embrace her disability and become a role model for other people living with disability.

Part of this has been achieved through building a social media presence, which allows her to attract sponsors, and connect with people who look up to her.

"I want to be the person that I didn't really get to see when I was younger in the media, competing on the international stage of sport," she said.

"I want to be the person who's comfortable with their disability, ready to start that conversation, and someone who shows young kids with disabilities, especially mild disabilities, to be proud of your disability, no matter the severity of it.

Building a social media presence has been a double-edged sword for Clarke, who has been the victim of abuse.

"It's always about my disability, usually, and being a young female on social media can also add to it," she said.

"So many people doubt my disability. They say that if I was an able-bodied athlete, I'd be really bad at it.

"Well, the reason I'm a para-athlete is because I have a disability. You just can't see it, and some people just invalidate my disability. I know it's not easy to tell, but I do have struggles with it, and they're just different to some other people and it's not as visible."

Making an impact where it counts

But amongst the negative messages, there are those reaching out who are positively impacted by Clarke's public profile.

"I get lots of messages from parents of kids with disabilities, and it feels great to show them that their kids can achieve worthwhile things in life and in sport, and for them to have some hope," she said.

"And when younger people with disabilities see my content and see my videos and feel inspired to give sport a go, I know that I've made an impact on someone's life.

"I think a lot of people say what motivates them in sport is usually the medals and success. But for me, the medals and success, it's great, but if I can inspire just a few more kids to give athletics a go or someone just to feel confident in their disability, or to be able to educate someone about disability and about how it ranges so far, then I feel like I've done my job.